WHITE-KNUCKLE WRITING
Put your characters through the wringer in this writing group exercise from Julie Phillips
We all crave a little adventure in our lives, and stepping out of our comfort zone is good for us both physically and mentally. We’ve also all read books that have had us on the edge of our seats, turning page after page as we read faster, desperate to see what fate awaits our hero or villain.
This month we are going to recreate that feeling with our own characters.
Let’s first think about the physical and mental affects of the adrenaline rush: shaky hands, rapid breathing, racing heart beat, alertness, bracing ourselves for impact, dry mouth, senses on red alert, queasy stomach. It’s all down to our body’s hormonal response to either stay and fight the threat, run away from it, or remain rooted to the spot. So here’s the science bit. Simplified, the hypothalamus and the amygdala in the brain and the sympathetic nervous system, informs the adrenal glands to release a storm of hormones including cortisol, adrenalin and noradrenalin into your blood.